2026 Texas elections
November 3, 2026
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The 2026 Texas elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026. Primary elections are currently taking place on March 3, with runoffs being held on May 26 for primary candidates who did not receive a majority of the vote. Early voting in the primary runs from February 17 to February 27 while early voting in the runoff runs from May 18 to May 22.
All of the states' executive offices are up for election, as well as 16 seats of the Texas Senate and all seats of the Texas House of Representatives, all 38 seats in the United States House of Representatives, and one of the state's United States Senate seats.
Federal
United States Senate
Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn is running for re-election.
United States House of Representatives
All 38 seats are up for election. Congressional districts were redrawn in 2025 by the state legislature in a move seen as beneficial for Republicans.[1]
Executive
Governor
Incumbent Republican governor Greg Abbott is running for re-election to a fourth term. He was re-elected in 2022 with 54.76% of the vote.
Lieutenant governor
Incumbent Republican lieutenant governor Dan Patrick is running for re-election to a fourth term. He was re-elected in 2022 with 53.75% of the vote.
Attorney general
Incumbent Republican attorney general Ken Paxton is running for U.S. senate. He was re-elected in 2022 with 53.42% of the vote.
Declared candidates in the Republican primary include state senators Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy Aaron Reitz, and U.S. representative Chip Roy.[2][3] Former mayor of Galveston Joe Jaworski and state senator Nathan Johnson are running for the Democratic nomination.[4]
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Incumbent Republican comptroller Glenn Hegar was re-elected in 2022 with 56.39% of the vote. He resigned on July 1, 2025, to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System and was succeeded by his chief clerk, former state senator Kelly Hancock, as acting Comptroller, who ran for re-election.
Hancock faced Texas Railroad Commission member Christi Craddick and former state senator Don Huffines in the Republican primary.[5] On March 3, 2026, Huffies would dominate the Republican primary with 57% win.[6]
Commissioner of the General Land Office
Incumbent Republican Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is running for re-election to a second four-year term. She was first elected in 2022 with 56.2% of the vote.
Commissioner of Agriculture
Incumbent Republican Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller ran for re-election to a fourth four-year term. He was re-elected in 2022 with 56.4% of the vote. Miller, who received a late endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump, would lose to Nathan Sheets, who was backed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, 52% to 47%.[6] This would mark the first time in years that a statewide Republican official would lose renomination in a primary.[6]
Railroad Commission
November 3, 2026
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Incumbent Republican Railroad Commission of Texas member Jim Wright is running for re-election to a second six-year term. He was first elected in 2020 with 53% of the vote.
Republican primary
Advanced to runoff
- Jim Wright, incumbent member of the Texas Railroad Commission[7]
- Bo French, former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party[8]
Eliminated in primary
- Katherine Culbert, process safety engineer and Democratic nominee for Railroad Commissioner in 2024[9]
- Hawk Dunlap, oilman[10]
- Jim Matlock[9]
Endorsements
- Newspapers and publications
- Newspapers and publications
- Organizations
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Wright (incumbent) | 619,612 | 32.1 | |
| Republican | Bo French | 613,136 | 31.7 | |
| Republican | James Matlock | 372,421 | 19.3 | |
| Republican | Katherine Culbert | 178,253 | 9.2 | |
| Republican | Hawk Dunlap | 148,730 | 7.7 | |
| Total votes | 1,932,152 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Jon Rosenthal, state representative from the 135th district (2019-present)[7]
Judicial
Texas Supreme Court
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Place 3
Republican primary
Advanced to runoff
- Alison Fox, staff attorney of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals[16]
- Tom Smith, assistant attorney general in the Texas Attorney General’s Office[16]
Eliminated in primary
- Brent Coffee, assistant attorney general in the Texas Attorney General’s Office[16]
- Lesli Fitzpatrick, director of special litigation for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Office of General Counsel[16]
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Okey Anyiam, criminal defense attorney[16]
Place 4
Republican primary
Nominee
- Kevin Yeary, incumbent[16]
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Audra Riley, judge of the Criminal District Court No. 3 in Dallas County[16]
Place 9
Republican primary
Nominee
- John Messinger, assistant state prosecuting attorney[16]
Eliminated in primary
- Jennifer Balido, judge of the Criminal District Court No. 1 in Dallas County[16]
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Holly Taylor, criminal and civil appeals attorney[16]
Legislature
16 seats of the Texas Senate and all 150 seats of the Texas House of Representatives are up for election. The winners of this election will serve in the 90th Texas Legislature.
Senate
All 16 odd-numbered seats of the Texas Senate are up for election to four-year terms. Prior to the election, Republicans held a majority of 20 seats against the Democrats' 11 seats.
| Party | Leader | Before | After | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles Perry | 20 | |||
| Democratic | Carol Alvarado | 11 | |||
| Total | 31 | ||||
House of Representatives
All 150 seats of the Texas House of Representatives are up for election to two-year terms. Prior to the election, Republicans held a majority of 88 seats against the Democrats' 62 seats.
| Party | Leader | Before | After | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dustin Burrows | 88 | |||
| Democratic | Gene Wu | 62 | |||
| Total | 150 | ||||
Board of Education
Local elections
County elections
- 2026 Bexar County elections
- 2026 Dallas County elections
- 2026 Harris County elections
- 2026 Fort Bend County Judge election
- 2026 Tarrant County elections
Mayoral elections
Eligible incumbents
- Arlington, Texas: Two-term incumbent Jim Ross is eligible for re-election.
- Laredo, Texas: One-term incumbent Victor Treviño is eligible for re-election.
- Lubbock, Texas: One-term incumbent Mark McBrayer is eligible for re-election.
Ineligible or retiring incumbents
- Corpus Christi, Texas: Two-term incumbent Paulette Guajardo is term-limited and ineligible to run.
- Irving, Texas: Three-term incumbent Rick Stopfer is term-limited and ineligible to run.
References
- ^ Saenz, Arlette (August 29, 2025). "Texas Gov. Abbott signs new Republican-friendly US House map | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ^ Goldenstein, Taylor (June 12, 2025). "Aaron Reitz, a former Trump DOJ official and Paxton aide, joins the race for Texas AG". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ Manchester, Julia (August 21, 2025). "Chip Roy launches Texas attorney general bid". The Hill. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ Klibanoff, Eleanor (July 17, 2025). "Democrat Joe Jaworski to run for Texas attorney general again". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
- ^ Scherer, Jasper (March 7, 2025). "Christi Craddick, Don Huffines announce bids for Texas comptroller after Hegar tapped for A&M chancellor". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c Whitely, Jason (March 4, 2026). "Here are the 5 Texas incumbents who lost their re-election races". WFAA. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ a b Serrano, Alejandro (September 29, 2025). "Democratic Rep. Jon Rosenthal will run for Texas Railroad Commission". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
- ^ Serrano, Alejandro (November 12, 2025). "Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French announces run for Texas Railroad Commission". Texas Tribune. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Norton, Hannah (January 16, 2026). "Q&A: Get to know the Republican primary candidates for Texas railroad commissioner". Community Impact. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ Taft, Molly (December 8, 2025). "The Well Watchers". Mother Jones. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Editorial Board (February 9, 2026). "We recommend in the Republican primary for Railroad Commissioner". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ "Dunlap brings outsider voice the Texas Railroad Commission needs". Austin American-Statesman. February 4, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ Editorial Board (February 10, 2026). "Hawk Dunlap in the Republican primary for Railroad Commissioner". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ "Hawk Dunlap, with 30-plus years in oil and gas, our GOP pick for Railroad Commission". San Antonio Express-News. February 12, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ "2026 Primary Election Endorsements". Texas Alliance for Life. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Nguyen, Alex (February 12, 2026). "Texas Court of Criminal Appeals primaries: Who is running and what to know". Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 2, 2026.